WHAT’S
YOUR SIGN—Bold new signage casts a green
and gold glow over the south end of campus. The sign
tells drivers on Highway 50 that they are in Sacramento
State territory and gives them a chance to check out
the University’s new logo.

If
you are driving along U.S. Highway 50 looking for Sacramento
State, now there is no mistaking where the campus is located.

Just look for what officials expect to become a landmark for
the University.

Along
two sides of the four-story Modoc Hall on the south end of
campus now stand three-foot tall black letters spelling out
Sacramento State along with a six-foot tall image of the University’s
new logo.

“The
signs now give the University a sense of place and they are
a great marketing tool as well,” said Matthew Altier,
vice president for capital planning and resource development,
and executive director of University Enterprises, Inc. “The
University has never had signage like this. Now everyone knows
where we are.”

And a
lot of people will get to see it. According to a traffic count
last year by the state Department of Transportation, more
than 200,000 motorists use Highway 50 at the 65th Street exit
each day.

Soon after
the 85,000-square-foot Modoc Hall opened last year, Altier
said he saw the potential for signs on the south and east
sides of the building, each clearly visible to traffic on
Highway 50.

After
receiving board approval, University Enterprises then funded
the project from construction money designated for use on
Modoc Hall.

Pacific
Neon, the Sacramento-based firm that designed the signage
at the Alex Spanos Sports Complex at Hornet Stadium, was chosen
as the contractor. Altier said one of the toughest challenges
in the project was keeping the logo design a secret while
actually building a sign of the new mark, a torch with intertwined
S’s burning above a river to symbolize Sacramento State’s
role in the Capital Region as a place of leadership and opportunity.
“We were able to keep everything under wraps until the
logo was unveiled,” he said.

The
sign and logo were put into place several days after the unveiling
of the logo. They were lit for the first time on a later evening,
bathing the area in light. “We went out to Highway 50
and took a look at the signs at night and everybody just loved
it. The signage is very professional and I’ve received
dozens of very positive comments,” said Altier.

He said
that new employees used to find their way to the campus from
Highway 50 by looking for the SMUD building off 65th Street.
That won’t be the case anymore for anyone looking for
the campus. They can just follow the sign.